Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Bills coasted to an easy, drama-free 31-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
Buffalo stifled Dallas on defense, while just running though the Cowboys when the Bills had the football.
This one might be short and simple, so let’s break it down:
Passing offense: Incomplete?
What can you say about an aspect of the game that wasn’t really used?
Dalton Kincaid had some tough drops. Gabe Davis didn’t locate the ball on a fly route and fight back to it. Stefon Diggs had a sick one-handed grab. Josh Allen threw a dot to James Cook for a touchdown.
That’s it. That’s the entire passing day.
Can’t really grade what didn’t happen.
Rushing offense: A+++
"Keep giving James Cook the football."
That was the opening line for this section in last week’s grades.
This week? Cook and the offensive line just embarrassed the Cowboys.
Cook had more yards on Sunday by himself than the entire Cowboys offense. Dallas runs their defense primarily out of dime, so the Bills said, "Our guys are bigger than yours. Let’s party." They then proceeded to steamroll the Cowboys.
The lack of adjustments from Dallas allowed offensive coordinator Joe Brady to just keep calling the runs.
I can’t add much more, this was a masterclass.
Passing defense: A
Leonard Floyd is the steal of the season. Floyd likely priced himself out of Buffalo with the season he has had, but it has been sorely needed with the lack of impact from Von Miller.
Floyd now has 10.5 sacks on the season, which has become par for the course in his production.
Rasul Douglas was the perfect addition at the trade deadline. Douglas has been more than solid since arriving from the Green Bay Packers, while the Bills needed a new top cornerback after the injury to Tre’Davious White.
Douglas and Christian Benford have been making plays left and right, while Dane Jackson staying as the third cornerback allows the depth to flex its muscles.
Rushing defense: A-
The Cowboys were solid in running the ball, averaging 4.5 yards per-touch on 20 carries. However, this part of the game had to get phased out thanks to Buffalo’s own rushing attack and overall dominance.
Dallas couldn’t get Tony Pollard going, mostly since they had to play catch up the entire game. The numbers would have been better for Dallas, if not for the dominance on the other side of the ball by the Bills.
Special teams: B+
Even the special teams were consistent in this game, a true testament to how steady this game was for Buffalo.
Cam Lewis made an impressive tackle on a kickoff return to halt the returner before the 15-yard line. Sam Martin took one for the team on a baffling block attempt that led to a Bills first down.
That said, the Dallas player shouldn’t come that free.
Coaching: A
Credit where it is due.
Sean McDermott has had a season where he became the figure in the crosshairs.
After firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the Bills look like they’re back. Not just the offense, the whole dang team.
The offense just got to spam the running game, as Dallas didn’t change their primary game plan. Brady kept letting the offensive line enforce their will, and knew not to fix what wasn’t broken.
As for the defense, McDermott’s unit made life miserable for an MVP candidate in Dak Prescott. I'm not backing down from my stance on that.
McDermott has to prove his worth in January, but this impressive stretch certainly takes the heat off what he was dealing with just weeks ago.
What's next:
The Bills (8-6) will come off of their most convincing win since Week 4 with a matchup against the collapsing Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16.
While the out-of-town schedule didn’t help as much as last week, Buffalo has improved their playoff odds (according to the New York Times Playoff Machine) from 42% to 68%.
Kickoff this Saturday is slated for 8 p.m. EST at SoFi Stadium with pregame coverage on WGR starting at 3 p.m. EST.
